


The Ring

by hismatetrunky



Series: The Ring [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chloè redemption, F/M, Identity Reveal, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, adrienette fluff, literally just fluff, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:49:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29366562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hismatetrunky/pseuds/hismatetrunky
Summary: ‘You know,’ Adrien murmured into Marinette's hair, so only she could hear, ‘you’re missing a very key part of the Chat Noir ensemble,’
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Series: The Ring [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2200179
Comments: 16
Kudos: 158





	The Ring

**Author's Note:**

> hey i made a tumblr post about this a while ago but i can't get it out of my head so i developed a little mwah. set in their final year of school

Marinette sighed as she hunched over her sewing machine for the third time that week. She was going to _kill_ that cat. They had only revealed themselves to _each_ _other_ a few months ago and now they were at risk of the _whole of Paris_ knowing their identities! Granted, their reveal had gone better than either of them could have ever hoped for in their wildest dreams, but regardless! All because of the blasted costume party.

Halloween was approaching, and Alya came up with the fantastic (so she thought) idea of the whole class dressing as their akumatised selves. Marinette and Adrien had tried to stop her, but she was adamant. She even posted it on the Ladyblog, so half of Paris was attending the party as their supervillain alter ego, much to the couple's delight. 

'But- who will _we_ dress as?' Adrien asked Alya as they walked to class. Marinette clung to his arm, determined to change her friend's mind about the costumes. Alya looked the two of them up and down. At once, her face lit up. 'I have an idea!' There was practically a lightbulb above her head, 'you two can be Ladybug and Chat Noir!' 

Marinette's grip on Adrien's arm tightened.

'A-are you sure? We really don't look the part, and there's already the real Ladybug and Chat- who are different people, obviously- I mean, they're obviously two different people, but they're also different from us, you know! Are you sure they'd be happy about- Very different-'  
Marinette cursed herself for babbling and looked desperately at her boyfriend to save her.

'Exactly! We don't look anything like them! Remember Clara Nightengale's music video? We didn't even get to play the parts! She changed her whole video concept!’

Marinette had never wanted an akuma to burst through the door more than in that very second.

'Of course! You two were even _chosen_ to play Ladybug and Chat Noir in a _professional_ music video! You're the perfect people to go as them!' 

That was it, then. They walked into the classroom as Alya gushed to the rest of the class about her idea. They all nodded enthusiastically and huddled together, frantically discussing their own costumes.

Behind them, Adrien looked sheepishly at Marinette, who glowered at him.

'Hey, you're the one who put me on the spot, m'lady,' he grinned, 'you know I'm just the sidekick,' 

She glared at him again, but for a different reason. 

'We are _partners._ There's no 'leader' or 'sidekick'. I couldn't be her without you,' she said seriously, staring right into his eyes. She could stare into his eyes for hours, and she had, on many occasions. 

Adrien's cheeks turned slightly pink as he kissed her on the forehead. Marinette melted at his touch. Was she really mad at him for blurting something out by accident? She winced at her own hypocrisy.

'Hey,' she murmured, looking up at him from where she nestled into his shoulder, 'I'm sorry for getting angry. It's not your fault Alya had the idea, I know as well as anyone how stubborn she can be. At least we know we'll look great in our costumes,' she grinned.

Marinette tried to remember that conversation as she painstakingly stitched two copies of their superhero costumes from scratch. 

‘All this work, when I could just say two words and have the whole thing ready to go,’ she sighed as Tikki looked at her reproachfully, glaring at the red and black spotted fabric in her hand. It was taut and unyielding, and she was _not_ looking forward to wearing it for a whole night. But then, nothing could compare to the light and flexible material that her real costume was made from. It felt like a second skin, and Marinette was certain that nowhere in the world would have that for sale.

She sighed for the hundredth time and continued her laborious project. The sun slowly melted behind the city skyline and was replaced with dozens of stars, scattering the inky black sky. Marinette’s vision blurred as she carried on stubbornly, refusing to sleep until she had at least one costume done.

There was a tap at her window and she barely looked, hoping it was a bird or a stray cat. There was a second tap and she feebly turned her head to see what it was. She caught a glimpse of green eyes before her eyes drooped shut and her head hit the table.

‘I knew… it was a stray... cat…’ she mumbled as Chat Noir lifted her carefully into her bed and tucked her in.

‘As much as I’d love to stay here, I'm not sure how pleased your parents would be to come up and see this stray cat in your bed,’ he smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead. She stirred slightly. ‘Sweet dreams, Bugaboo,’

He slid silently out the window, making sure to shut it as quietly as possible. The streets were practically empty as he leapt across the Paris rooftops and landed swiftly in his bedroom. ‘Claws off,’ he said, flopping onto his bed.

‘I don't deserve that girl,’ he smiled as Plagg devoured a slice of cheese. ‘Did you _see_ the costumes she made? She must’ve been working all night… even though it’s _my_ fault we have to go as Ladybug and Chat in the first place…’

‘Careful, or she’ll realise she can do better than you,’ Plagg teased. Adrien’s face fell, and he looked worriedly at the ground.  
  
‘Calm down, kid, I was joking! You know she’s been head over heels for you since you first met,’ he said reassuringly, scoffing another huge chunk of cheese.

‘But she did stop liking me for a while-‘

‘Because she fell for Chat Noir!’ Plagg said indignantly. ‘She’s fallen for you twice, kid. She’s not going anywhere,’

‘Yeah…’ Adrien agreed distractedly, his mind whirring as he lay down to sleep.

***

‘Happy Halloween, girl!’ Alya exploded through the trapdoor into Marinette’s room, two weeks after she came up with the costume idea. It was three minutes past seven in the morning, and Marinette was _not_ happy about being woken up so early on a weekend. Alya just laughed as she dodged shoes and books being thrown at her by her best friend.

‘What could you possibly need to do at 7 am on a Saturday?’ Marinette groaned as she yanked open the doors of her wardrobe. She may be tired and grumpy, but she was not going to let that affect her outfit.

‘We’re meeting Chloe for some last-minute party shopping. It’s our last year at school, who knows when we’ll all be together like this again?’

Marinette frowned. Most of her class was staying in France for college, at least for their first year. Sure, Lila would probably be on the first flight out of there as soon as she graduated, but none of them were going to miss her, right? She sighed as she yanked a pink sweater off its hanger and pulled on a pair of jeans. It was too early to try and rationalise the way Alya’s mind worked.

Shopping in Paris at seven in the morning was more fun than Marinette had anticipated. They stopped for coffee in a cosy new café beforehand, which definitely helped with her energy levels. Chloe pulled them into an expensive jewellery store where they spent almost an hour gazing adoringly at every item in the shop. She even managed to pull a few strings and had one of the shop assistants open up a case of rings for them to try on.

‘Oh, they’re _stunning!’_ the girls squealed, and proceeded to spend another half hour pretending to be rich damsels from the twentieth century. Just as they got to acting out elaborate proposals, Alya’s phone beeped.

‘Oh! There’s an akuma at the Eiffel Tower!’

She held up her phone screen where live footage of Mr. Pigeon was being shown. Marinette sighed.

‘We- we better get out of here, this shop’s not too far from there!’

The two girls nodded as they made their way towards the door. ‘Oh! I forgot to take a ring off- I’ll catch up with you!’

She could have sworn she saw Chloe and Alya exchange a look before disappearing into the crowd.

Marinette sprinted to the nearest bathroom and transformed quickly, trying to get to the Eiffel Tower as quickly as possible. Sure enough, when she got there, there was Mr Pigeon, muttering nonsense about his pigeons being 'too good' for Paris.

‘Let’s get this over with,’ she sighed, ‘maybe I’ll beat my record and get it done before Chat gets here. Lucky charm!’

She threw her yo-yo in the air, and in her arms landed a candle.

‘A candle…? But that must mean…’

She examined the object and wrinkled her eyebrows. Surely, she didn’t need help with _this?_ Marinette looked at the akumatised man in front of her, who was now impersonating one of the pigeons, and back at the candle in her hands. The lucky charm was never wrong, after all.

‘Spots off,’ she murmured as she hid behind the wall near Master Fu’s house. She emerged, in her civilian identity, and walked cautiously towards the house. The door creaked as she pushed it open, and she was shocked to see who was inside.

Sitting on the couch inside Master Fu’s room, were Alya, Chloe, and Nino. Marinette’s eyes widened, and she could barely form words.

‘I KNEW it!’ Nino said gleefully as the three of them looked at her. Marinette’s brain was whirring. ‘But- how did-‘

Master Fu coughed and she turned to look at him. The old man was smiling.

‘I would explain, but I think we should wait for your partner to get here- ah, here he is,’

As if on cue, Adrien burst through the door, looking frantic. He looked around the room to see his friends sitting on the couch, and the shock on his face mirrored Marinette’s. He stumbled to stand beside Marinette, automatically taking her hand in his.

‘But- Plagg told me you had been akumatised, Master- he said that-‘

Master Fu raised his hand as if to silence him. ‘I told Plagg to get you here by any means necessary. He certainly did what he was asked,’

There was a snigger from inside Adrien’s jacket.

‘I knew that too!’ Nino jumped up again. ‘I _told_ you they were Ladybug and Cat Noir, I’ve been telling you since-‘

Master Fu cleared his throat again. ‘Yes Nino, you were very clever. Now, you may all be wondering why I summoned you here.' They all nodded frantically.

'Yes, Marinette and Adrien are Ladybug and Chat Noir,’ he said looking at Nino, who looked as if he was about to burst, ‘I thought it was a mistake, letting Marinette and Adrien know each other’s true identities. But, they have proved that their bond has grown stronger with the knowledge of their true selves, and I decided it would be helpful for the rest of you to know, too. Hawkmoth is growing restless, and we need as much power as we can if we want any chance of defeating him,’

Marinette’s head was still whirring. Of course, she already knew the identities of all her hero friends, but would the knowledge of her being Ladybug change how they acted around her? Alya and Chloe worshipped Ladybug. She hoped that it wouldn’t change their friendship.

‘Now, of course, this does not mean I can give you your Miraculouses full time,’ he said, looking at the three friends on the couch, ‘having two Miraculous in circulation is dangerous enough. We can’t risk any of your identities being discovered by anyone else. Apart from you, Chloe,’

They nodded.

‘Now, I’m sure you have much to discuss. Hop along! And don’t worry about Mr Pigeon,’ he called after Marinette, who was already sprinting away, her hand still in Adrien's, ‘your friend Rena Rouge isn't the only one who has a knack for those illusions,’

The five of them thanked him and walked out in smaller groups, so as not to raise suspicion. Marinette insisted that the others leave first, leaving her and Adrien alone with Master Fu.

'Master- what was that about? Why didn't you discuss it with us- or, tell us- why was it necessary?'

Master Fu looked around for a moment, then sighed. 'Look, I did not want to offend either of you by mentioning it, but- now that the two of you are in a relationship, it is risky for your dynamic as heroes! What if you split up? I need to know that there will be backup!'

Marinette's grip on Adrien's hand tightened.

'Not to be disrespectful, Master, but that is bullshit! We are professionals, and we would never let our relationship affect the safety of the entire population of Paris! I love Adrien _and_ Chat Noir, and I always have and I always will!'

She finished abruptly and went slightly red. Her gaze met Adrien's.

'I mean- if you-'

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. 'I love you, Marinette,' 

He had never been more absolutely certain of anything in his life.

***

‘Dudes! I knew it was you! Alya wouldn’t believe me without cold hard evidence, and Chloe _refused_ to accept that she had been bullying Ladybug since kindergarten, but I was right!’

‘Yeah, yeah, you’re so clever, remember who figured out you were Carapace after ten seconds?’ Alya retorted.

Chloe was unusually silent, and her eyes were darting between Adrien and Marinette.

‘Anything to add, Chlo?’ Adrien looked at her quizzically. Chloe started laughing.

‘So, we all know Marinette had a crush on Adrien for aaages, right? And we know that Chat Noir has been chasing Ladybug for aaages, right? Well, really, they were in love with _each other_ the whole time, and they didn’t even know!’ She was laughing even harder. Alya and Nino joined in.

‘Yeah… and then… I stopped liking Adrien… because I fell for Chat Noir,’ Marinette said sheepishly.

‘And I got over Ladybug... because I fell for Marinette,’ Adrien added. Alya’s eyes practically turned into hearts.

‘That is _adorable!_ You both fell in love with each other- twice! That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard in my life!’

Alya’s phone beeped again.

‘Well, incredible romance novels aside, we have more work to do! Boys! Begone!’ she ushered them away, whispering something into Adrien’s ear. He nodded and she bounded back towards Marinette and Chloe. ‘They have some shopping of their own to do…’ Chloe whispered before Alya elbowed her.

‘Now! We’re meeting the girls to help with their costumes!’

Marinette looked at them. Her friends were acting surprisingly normal, considering she had just been revealed to be one of the main superheroes in charge of saving Paris nearly every day. Were they disappointed that it was her? Did they expect it to be some super-cool, put-together girl who could consistently walk around without tripping?  
She eyed her two friends as they walked down the street, trying to look for signs of disappointment or surprise. They looked the same as always. It was killing her.

‘Are you... disappointed that I’m Ladybug?’ she asked them quietly, kicking herself for letting it get to her. The two girls stared at her.  
  
‘What?! Of course not!’ Alya said, confused. ‘We’re in awe of you, girl! You manage to save the city every single day and still have time for us!’

‘Yeah!’ Chloe added, ‘and you didn’t even use it against me when I bullied you for like, years,’

‘But… you _worship_ Ladybug…’ Marinette said, ‘it must be disappointing to find out that she’s- me,’

‘Girl, we worship you too,’ Alya said seriously, ‘you’re always there for everyone, and constantly willing to lend a hand, even at your own expense. You really are our everyday Ladybug,’ Alya chuckled.  
‘Now, have you had enough of an ego boost? Can we go and work on these costumes now?’

Marinette nodded, satisfied, and the three of them giggled and began walking up the stairs to Rose's apartment.

***

‘I can’t believe this is the _second_ time this has happened,’ Marinette sighed, looking at the costume she was wearing. ‘ _How_ can we wear these to the party and not get recognised? This is worse than the music video!’  
Beside her, Adrien was admiring his own costume.

‘You’re the spitting image of Ladybug, you know that?’ he grinned.

‘Well, you’re not _nearly_ as handsome as Chat Noir,’ she replied cheekily. Plagg made gagging noises from behind them.

‘You two are obnoxious, you know that?’ he looked at them in disgust.

‘Not as obnoxious as that cheese you insist on eating,’ Tikki said, flying out from behind Marinette’s mirror. ‘When I had to eat it the time you switched your Miraculouses- it was awful.’ She made a face.

Marinette’s brain lit up.

‘You got the details perfect, m’lady- every single part, it’s like you just stole my real one!’ he said, in awe of his girlfriend’s talent.

‘It won’t be near as comfortable,’ she said, ‘and the bell won’t sit right. And I couldn’t get a belt long enough, so I had to-‘

Adrien took her hands in his, and gazed into her eyes. ‘It’s perfect, Mari. Just like you.’

She blushed lightly as he kissed the tip of her nose.

‘They might be a bit _too_ perfect, I really don’t know how we’ll get away with wearing these and not get recognised- unless we don’t wear the masks, but then people will ask _why_ we’re not wearing them, and we’ll have to make up an excuse, which will look suspicious, and- wait. What if we…?’

Her train of thought shuddered to a halt and a new one took off. An idea began forming. Adrien smiled and tapped her head.  
  
‘What’s going on in there, m’lady?’

‘I have an idea,’

***

They pulled up to the party outside the Grand Paris hotel in a limousine, courtesy of Adrien’s bodyguard. The place was thronged with people, practically all dressed as their akumatised selves.  
It looked like something straight out of Marinette’s worst nightmare, and she could tell Adrien wasn’t particularly overjoyed to see the entire hotel filled with every villain they’d ever fought. Still, she took his arm and lead him inside, excited to see the decorations that Rose and Sabrina spent hours making. It looked incredible.  
  
As soon as they got inside, Adrien headed straight for the desserts table, where he picked up as many macarons as he could fit in his hands. Marinette rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help smiling at the pure joy that reflected on his face.

‘You and Tikki are two peas in a pod, maybe you should dress up as Ladybug permanently,’

‘Peas are gross,’ he said through a mouthful of crumbs, ‘and you could never put up with Plagg’s cheese addiction,’

‘Come on, Alya and Nino are over here,’ she said and dragged him by the arm through the crowd towards them.

‘I thought Ladybug was supposed to be in charge,’ he huffed through another mouthful of macaron, dodging a particularly tipsy Officer Roger.

‘She is,’ Marinette grinned.

‘Well whaddya know, Bug Boy and Kitty Girl,’ Alya smiled as they approached.  
  
Her Lady Wifi costume was perfect, it made Marinette’s hair stand on end. She could feel Adrien tense up next to her. Beside them, Nino was struggling to manoeuvre in his Bubbler costume, which was made from loads of balloons.  
  
Marinette relaxed. _They’re not akumatised,_ she constantly reminded herself. Still, it was unnerving.

They all chattered happily and greeted their friends. It was weird, talking to them normally while they were dressed as supervillains. Mylène wore the same mask that Ivan had worn for their class film a few years ago. Jagged Stone put a pair of wings on Fang. Even Lila was wearing a Volpina outfit, causing her to receive a myriad of dirty looks from Alya. Marinette looked at all the people in their outfits and felt a strange fondness for them.

‘Is it weird that Hawkmoth’s kinda- brought us all closer together with his akumas?’ Marinette said to Adrien as he led her back to the dessert table for the third time. ‘I mean, Ivan and Mylène basically got together because of one, and Chloe’s parents got _back_ together, and like, the whole city in general just seems… closer, you know?’

‘That’s because of _us,_ m’lady. If we hadn’t saved them, there’d still be giant stone monsters rampaging across the country. Now, if you will,’ he held out his arm, 'May I have this dance?'

She smiled gleefully and took his arm, letting him lead her onto the dance floor. They were surrounded by couples dancing together, though Alya and Nino had a bit of trouble when one of Nino’s balloons popped right on Alya’s face.  
  
Marinette lost herself in the dance, looking up at her boyfriend and thinking there was nowhere in the world she’d rather be.  
Dancing with him, her partner, her best friend, her soulmate.

She was so lost in the moment she didn’t even realise all the other couples had left the floor.

The song eased to a stop, and the next one began. A melody Marinette was very familiar with. 

'This is the song we danced to at- hey, where is everyone?'   
  
The room was mostly dark, apart from a spotlight that seemed to shine only on them.

'I think we should thank Hawkmoth. We'd never be dancing here, to this song, in these cat and bug outfits, as a teenage superhero couple, if he hadn't made it his mission to evilise every citizen of Paris,' Adrien whispered. 

Marinette giggled and nuzzled into Adrien's chest, where she decided then and there was her favourite place in the entire universe. The music swelled as they danced, it was as if time had slowed down as every person at the party watched from the darkness at the edge of the dance floor. 

Alya, Nino and Chloe watched in anticipation. They had been planning this moment for two weeks, it had taken all of their combined efforts for every single part of the evening to go smoothly. No akumatisations, no costume mishaps, the empty dance floor, the right song, the spotlight, even the passion fruit macarons. They looked around to see almost every other person watching the dancing couple with the same anticipation that the three of them had been feeling for a fortnight.

‘You know,’ Adrien murmured into Marinette's hair, so only she could hear, ‘you’re missing a very key part of the Chat Noir ensemble,’

‘What’s that, over-confidence and a terrible sense of humour?’ she grinned up at him.

‘No,’ he said, and before she knew what was happening, Adrien Agreste was down on one knee, a small box in his hand, tucked inside which was a dainty silver copy of his own Miraculous.

‘The ring.’


End file.
